Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)
Book Review: While not for everyone, those it is for will love it
Summary: 5 Stars
First and foremost, I must say this book is not for everyone. But then, what book really is? Just a warning, the book takes place from Harry's point of view, which results in constant thought and perspective on the current situations from him. And as my friend put it shortly after finishing this very novel, which I got him addicted to..."Harry is sort of an arse"
(yes, yes, I censored it a wee bit)
Which is true, but a lovable one. But everything in the book is filtered through harry's eyes, which I know could be a turn-off for some people. But I encourage you to pick this book up to see if the style is something you like, there are many worse ways to spend 6 dollars I can think of, and who knows, you just may like it.
I love the books because of Harry, he treats the magic with enough sarcasm and respect to make it truly believable, something beyond the usual all powerful stuff that people can just whip out of the air at will that tends to permeate other fantasy. It has logical and interesting rules and barriers that keeps it constrained and confined into as realistic as a device as you could expect magic to be.
It makes for a very refreshing change of pace.
Plus, Harry is just such an interesting character. He isn't the strongest or the fastest, he is just a good guy doing what he can to survive the day.
Man, going to sound like a broken record at this rate, I will cut it off. Harry good, magic good, book great, buying book the best. I hope many of you will thank me for it, heh. I got a bunch of people hooked on the books within hours of finishing this one, many of which cursed my very name for causing them to spend money on the rest of the novels instead of food and whatnot. But it was worth it in the end, I am quite sure.
Book Review: Fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe that I never heard of Jim Butcher until now (guess Amazon's recommendations really are worth looking into!).
I bought the first 2 books of the Dresden series, as well as Furies of Calderon, and Here, There Be Dragons (different author btw) to start with because in all honesty, I wasn't expecting too much of the Dresden series or or the Codex Alera book simply because the covers looked.. a bit cheesy. But that old saying, never judge a book by its cover, is absolutely spot on in this instance. Jim really manages to bring Harry and his world alive in a way few books these days manage to do. Honestly, I found myself holding my breathe, or felt my heart racing throughout - it is that engrossing.
In fact, it's almost too good - I read the Dresden books first because I expected them to be lesser reading material than "Here, There Be Dragons". Boy was I wrong - HTBD is good, but nowhere near as engrossing as the Dresden series. It's not that HTBD is bad, it's just that.. heck, I'll save it for the actual review. Sufficed to say, the Dresden files are fantastic.
Magic, wizardry, vampires, werewolves, demons.. it could have been silly, it could have been trashy - but it's not. There certainly are adult-oriented themes of violence and sexual undertones, (so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to, perhaps, the 14 and under crowd), but nothing excessively graphic - in fact I'd venture to say that any lover of fantasy/magic will enjoy this. The good part about not having heard of this series and writer before? - I now have the rest of the series (which I've already ordered and am anxiously anticipating) to look forward to!
Book Review: Good first effort? No, Great first effort!
Summary: 5 Stars
I started watching The Dresden Files on the SciFi channel earlier this year. It's kind of shlocky, but fun. I love that Harry Dresden has a hockey stick as a staff, and Bob the skull as a magical consultant. I really love Lt. Karrin Murphy and the growing attraction between her and the misfit that Harry is.
So, when I realized the show was based upon a series of books by author Jim Butcher, I decided to check them out. I bought the first four; an unusual departure for me as I tend to get stubborn about series and try to wait til they're all written and then buy them all at once. (I waited 20+ years for Stephen King to finish the Tower series!)
I just finished the first book, Storm Front. The premise:
"Harry Dresden is the only openly advertising wizard in the country; in Chicago. He's just managing to scrape by on the rent when Lt. Murphy calls him in to consult in regards to an horrific double murder. Harry does his best to help out and soon finds himself caught up with drug dealers, the White Council, and a new wizard on the block who uses the energy of the storms to kill."
I read a could of reviews that said that as a first book, it was a good effort. As the series went on, they became better. I really enjoyed the first book and feel it was much more than just a "good effort".
I was a little disappointed that in the book Harry's staff is a regular old staff and that Bob is a pair of blinking red lights. However, Bob's personality is still there, and that's good.
I'm at work on the second book and will no doubt have finished most of the series by Christmas.
Book Review: Don't say I didn't warn you.....
Summary: 5 Stars
The first I'd ever really been exposed to The Dresden Files was through the television show. That, though, wasn't exactly something which sent me off looking to read the series. I never really watched the show, just saw enough to understand the basic premise - modern day wizard with possible moral greyness fighting bad guys. That was a while back and it wasn't until recently that I came across the series and thought to give it a try.
Word of warning. If you're the type of person who likes chapters which finish at a clear break point, author Jim Butcher will drive you crazy. He seems to end every chapter in cliffhanging fashion, requiring a real force of will to not end up reading five chapters when you only meant to read one. Definitely page-turner material here, and since the book isn't very long, nor very complex, most readers will get through it fairly quickly. Good thing there are several others which follow!
The story of Storm Front (and all the books) is told in a first person fashion from the viewpoint of the lead character Harry Dresden. It features a blunt, honest, irreverant tone I found quite fun. You get to know Harry quite well as a result. Being a first person narrative, the other primary characters do end up lacking a little bit of depth, but they aren't exactly shallow projections either. Nor are they one dimensional. Butcher, through Dresden, does a pretty good job of giving them interesting personalities which challenge his protagonist in different ways.
I definitely recommend Storm Front for the SciFi/Fantasy reader. Just be warned that once you start you may find it impossible to put down!
Book Review: Effective genre-mixing
Summary: 5 Stars
Prior to chancing upon a copy of Blood Rites at a supermarket paperback rack, I'd never heard of either Jim Butcher or his series of Harry Dresden books. Because I'm primarily a fan of horror fiction, the title and the cover caught my attention. And the back copy description heightened my interest. But I put the book back, figuring if I were going to read it I ought to start at the beginning of the series.
I'm glad I did. Storm Front is an absolutely riveting read. Although it's the initial entry in the series, it doesn't feel like it. That's because Butcher has a gift for crafting characters you feel like you already know. His protagonists are likeable but flawed. You know, like real people. Except that most real people (at least any I know) aren't involved in a never-ending series of scrapes with supernatural threats and beasties. Storm Front is tightly plotted and breathlessly paced.
Though lead character Harry Dresden is a bit of a wiseass (and there are many funny moments), this book is quite a bit darker than I suspected it would be. And that's a good thing. Like I said, I'm a horror guy. I even write the stuff (I'm the author of House of Blood, from Leisure Books). But the Dresden books are labeled Fantasy on the spine. I rarely venture into the Fantasy/Sci-Fi area of bookstores. Apparently I've been missing out on some good stuff, because while the book's premise has a fantasy foundation, Butcher mixes in liberal horror and hardboiled elements. It's a heady stew. I've read the second book in the series (it's even better than Storm Front), and look forward to devouring the rest of them.